Tour beers from around Flathead Lake, eat some barbecue in Polson on Saturday
As part of the fourth annual Smokin’ on the Water BBQ Cook-Off in Polson on Saturday, those looking for delicious smoky meat can also enjoy beers from around the Flathead Valley. In what’s being dubbed a “Brew Tour” rather than a “Brewfest,” the event will feature beer from Tamarack, Great Northern, Flathead Lake Brewing and Glacier Brewing. The Brew Tour starts at 11 a.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. at the KwaTaqNuk Resort, where $3 will get you a cup of beer or $7 will get you a souvenir glass pint with a fill.
The Smokin’ on the Water BBQ Cook-Off will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the following categories being featured:
- 2:00 pm – Sauce
- 2:30 pm – Beef
- 3:00 pm – Pork
- 3:30 pm – Chicken
- 4:00 pm – Open category (anything that is “edible and grilled”)
Awards for the food are slated to be presented around 4:30 p.m.
- Matt Pritchard
Beer deal: Glacier Brewing Co. growler, pint glass, T-shirt
Today’s Deal has a pretty sweet beer bargain going on right now for Glacier Brewing Co. fans. For $16, you get a growler plus a fill, a pint glass and a T-shirt. Original value is said to be $32. Might not be a bad way to get some Christmas shopping done early on the cheap.
- Matt Pritchard
Glacier Brewing Co.’s new Wildhorse Island Pale Ale on tap now
The new Wildhorse Island Pale Ale or Wildhorse IPA is done and is now on tap at Polson-based Glacier Brewing Co. We wrote about this American Pale Ale about a month ago and, at the time, head brewer David Ayers said, “It will be a hoppy answer to all the requests I get for an IPA.”
In an e-mail, Ayers said he brewed a “half batch” or about 7 kegs’ worth. As far as stats go, it has 33 IBUs and comes in at 5.7 percent ABV. Ayers said he used three different hops added at five different times.
Glacier Brewing is also taking feedback from customers on how they like the beer and how to make it better. After Ayers gets enough feedback he plans to brew a new batch and hopes to bottle sometime in the spring.
It’s doubtful I’ll be able to make the trip up Polson anytime soon, but if anyone has tried the new brew let me know how it is.
- Matt Pritchard
Glacier Brewing Co.’s Wildhorse Island Pale Ale on horizon
Polson’s Glacier Brewing Co. is prepping a new American Pale Ale at the request of its customers called Wildhorse Island Pale Ale or Wildhorse IPA. Dave Ayers says it should be ready in the first part of 2011 on draft and hopes to bottle thereafter.
“It will be a hoppy answer to all the requests I get for an IPA,” Ayers said in an e-mail.
To go along with the beer, Glacier Brewing is looking for a photo of Wildhorse Island to possibly use in the label design. If you have one you want to share, send it to info@glacierbrewing.com.
- Matt Pritchard
Glacier Brewing Co. dressing up its beer
Glacier Brewing Co. is holding a costume party on Friday for kids, adults and … beer? Yep.
This year in time for Halloween, head brewer Dave Ayers played around with three of Glacier’s flagship beers by putting them “in costume.”
For our current specialty beer, the Dunkel Hefeweizen, we import a hefe-yeast strain from Germany. This year, when I made this beer, I reused some of this wonderfully unique yeast on one keg-worth of each beer: Golden Grizzly Ale, Glacier Select Oktoberfest, and Slurry Bomber Stout and turned them into a HefeKolsch, HefeOktoberfest, and a HefeStout.
If you want to try try any of these special editions you’d better head to Polson, because Ayers says “once these kegs are gone, they are gone for a long, long time!”
The party starts at 5 p.m. with food and candy, and costume judging is set to start at 6 p.m. Enjoy.
All you can eat crab at Glacier Brewing Company on Friday
This just came across FB a few minutes ago, and I thought it might be worthwhile to those beer and seafood enthusiasts out there.
This Friday, August 20th, Glacier Brewing is hosting the Polson PEO’s Annual CRAB CRACK! All you can eat crab and the fixins’ for $25.00.
Get your tickets now in the tasting room.
Prost,
GG
Bald Beaver Barley Wine, Tamarack Black Ale, Flathead Fireworks and an Imperial IPA from the FLBC
Glacier's Dave Ayers serves up his Bald Beaver Barley Wine
It was our first 4th of July celebration without kids in at least 12 years, so my wife and I decided to get out of town and go have an adventure of our own. Flathead Lake seemed a logical destination, surrounded as it is by great Montana breweries. After a good 4-mile run in Missoula’s north hills, we drove off in an abundance of sunshine toward the north. Gathering clouds in the north did not bode well, but we figured they’d just blow over.
By the time we got to Polson, the clouds were thick and rain seemed imminent. We pulled over at Glacier Brewing Company in search of the illusive Bald Beaver Barley Wine. We met up with brewer/owner Dave Ayers and chatted about the big beer and all the good things happening at the southern end of the lake. My wife and I agreed that the barley wine with a great name was a big malt bomb and indeed pleasant but perhaps better suited to a cold February night than a cool 4th of July, but who can complain when you get beers like this any time of year?
Moving north, we met up with good friends at the Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside for dinner. Head brewer Craig’s new black ale was the perfect beer for this kind of 4th, with a super light flavor profile on a seriously black beer. Light roasted malts are evident, but this beer is like an even more balanced version of Full Sail Brewing Company’s Session Black. Seriously sessionable and excellent with food, this black ale was my favorite find on this beer tour/holiday celebration.
The evening festivities took place at the lake front home of a Kalispell lawyer who is an acquaintance of the friends we stayed with. We shared a growler of Big Sky Brewing Company’s Saison as the Lakeside fireworks lit up the cloudy sky. Monday showed its hand early with clouds an rain showers over the east side of the lake, so we opted for breakfast and a drive to Flathead Lake Brewing Company instead of a boat ride across some choppy waters.
Very little has changed at FLBC, unless you consider a more minimalist approach to selling beer. When Terry owned the joint, there was a slightly different atmosphere, the lack of which you’ll notice right away. The good thing is that the beer still is good, as attested to by the Imperial IPA we had while watching a few Glacier campers waddle in for refreshments after a cold and rainy weekend in the park.
Among the differences at FLBC, food is now available, and you might end up with a smart comment from the bar tender, who can’t seem to find a simple way to let customers know that a certain beer won’t be available for another week or so. But I digress.
A Lakeside 4th of July
It was nice to see that things are rolling along, and that Montana has one of its most picturesque breweries up and running again.
On our way back to Missoula, we stopped into Tamarack to chat with head brewer Craig, and we tasted a new Rye beer concocted by a new brewer’s assistant. Light and dry with that unmistakable rye characteristic, this Roggenbier, as they call it, is an interesting take on a grain more brewers seem to be playing around with these days. It was also a good discovery for me, as I’ve been looking for what I call the Holy Grail of American sushi beers. Those light, dry beers that won’t over power the delicate nature of one of life’s greatest foods but that won’t disappear completely as some light ales and Pilsners seem to do.
All in all it was a good craft beer weekend with lots of new discoveries, catching up with a few of my favorite beer people and of course celebrating the birth of a great nation.
Prost,
GG
Glacier’s Bald Beaver Barley Wine – Truly a work of art
No, unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but I love the art work. Dave, I’ll be up this weekend, any chance you could put a little aside for me?
Bald Beaver Barley Wine from Glacier Brewing Company
Prost,
GG
Old Scottish Bastard-From Glacier Brewing Company
This goes down as one of my favorite beer names of all time. Nice job Glacier Brewing Company. And aged six months to boot.
An awesome beer name
Biere de Mars Montana
Looks like Glacier Brewing Company is popping the cork on an aged Biere de Mars, a French/Belgian farmhouse-style ale traditionally brewed in early winter and served in the spring. If you’re in Polson and coming to Missoula, pick me up a growler.
Biere de Mars Montana
Prost,
GG